UPDATE: Charges filed in fatal shooting of Mich. trooper

Trooper Paul Butterfield was shot in the head during a traffic stop Monday in Mason County's Sherman Township, about 80 miles north of Grand Rapids. Hiss funeral will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Manistee High School.

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By The Associated Press

Ionia Sentinel - Standard-Ionia, MI

By The Associated Press

Posted Sep. 11, 2013 at 3:01 PM

By The Associated Press

Posted Sep. 11, 2013 at 3:01 PM

LUDINGTON, Mich.

A 19-year-old man was charged with murder Wednesday in the shooting of a state trooper in northern Michigan, and his wife was also charged with helping him try to get away.

Trooper Paul Butterfield was shot in the head during a traffic stop Monday in Mason County's Sherman Township, about 80 miles north of Grand Rapids.

Eric Knysz of Luther has been charged with murder of an officer as well as three other crimes. He faces a mandatory no-parole sentence if convicted. His wife, Sarah Knysz, 20, faces two charges related to driving away from the scene with him.

Bond was set at $250,000 for Sarah Knysz, who appeared by video camera from the county jail. There was no indication that either had attorneys yet.

Eric Knysz was injured while exchanging gunfire with police as officers closed in on the couple some 15 miles from where Butterfield was shot. He's in a Traverse City hospital but was expected to appear in court Thursday. He has a criminal record that includes home invasion, a felony, in Lake County, records show.

"Good paying job trimming trees, wife that is pregnant, just moved into their own place," Knysz family friend Demo Moore told TV station WZZM. "Things were looking up. Then this happens."

Prosecutor Paul Spaniola said Butterfield regularly handled cases in Mason County, especially following up with sex offenders to ensure they were complying with their many restrictions.

"He had a very soft spot for animals. He was a hard worker. He did everything by the book," Spaniola told Wednesday.

Butterfield's funeral will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Manistee High School. He was a trooper for 14 years.